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T20 World Cup 2022: After defeat in the semi-finals, Williamson said – it is difficult to digest this defeat
Sydney. Desperate New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said the T20 World Cup semi-final loss is not easy to digest but admitted that his team was not disciplined enough to challenge far-performing Pakistan here on Wednesday. Pakistan made it to the T20 World Cup final for the third time after defeating runners-up New Zealand by seven wickets in the semi-finals of the previous tournament. Williamson said during the post-match prize distribution ceremony, “It is very disappointing that we were not able to give a tough challenge to Pakistan. He gave a splendid performance. He overtook us. It is difficult for us to digest this defeat. Babar (Azam) and (Mohammed) Rizwan put us under pressure.” Made it to the T20 World Cup final.
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Williamson said, “He put pressure on us quickly. Pakistan bowled very well. We (Daryl) managed to get some momentum back with Mitchell’s incredible knock. We felt it was a competitive score. It was a bit tough to play on this wicket.” New Zealand could not score runs fast after losing early wickets to openers Finn Allen (04) and Devon Conway (21). Williamson (46) and Mitchell (53) added 68 runs for the fourth wicket to take the team to a challenging score. Williamson said, “If we are being honest, we wanted to be more disciplined. Pakistan certainly deserved to be the winner. Very good cricket played.” Pakistan captain Babar praised his bowlers for registering the win. “The way the team performed in the last three games…thanks to the spectators, it feels like we are playing at home. We started well in the first six overs and then we had a good spin attack. The fast bowlers also did very well.
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Babar said, “Our plan was to take advantage of the first six overs before going out on the field and later everyone could come and contribute. We will enjoy this moment but at the same time we will focus on the final.” Rizwan was adjudged the player of the match for his innings of 57 off 43 balls. “Luckily, the half-century made the semi-finals. Babar and I were battling but we worked hard and kept the faith. We kept fighting. We decided to attack the new ball bowlers.” Rizwan said, “When we finished the powerplay, we knew either of us would have to play a long innings because it was a difficult pitch. We didn’t have a good start (in the tournament) but people didn’t stop believing.” Pakistan will now take on the winner of Thursday’s second semi-final between India and England in the final in Melbourne on Sunday.
